Madison Quinn | World Music Central

The album cover for Radio Sevdah by Divanhana features a glowing white heart-shaped flame set against a swirling night sky filled with star trails. At the center, a band of the Milky Way cuts through the darkness. The band’s name and album title appear below in modern lettering.

Album reviews

Tuning Into the Heart of Sarajevo: Divanhana’s Radio Sevdah

Divanhana – Radio Sevdah (CPL-Music, 2025) When Radio Sevdah begins, it feels like stepping into a warmly lit kitchen filled with familiar voices. The static…

The cover of A Piece of Infinity by Meklit features a black-and-white portrait of the artist overlaid with the repeated word “INFINITY” in a grid-like pattern. Her name, MEKLIT, appears boldly at the bottom in large white capital letters, while the album title sits above her head in smaller text.

Album reviews

A Piece of Infinity, Meklit’s Smithsonian Folkways Debut

Madison Quinn October 21, 2025 No Comments Ethiopian music Meklit world music

Meklit – A Piece of Infinity (Smithsonian Folkways, 2025) Meklit will release A Piece of Infinity, her first album for Smithsonian Folkways, on September 26.…

The album cover for O Rom – Radio Rom features curved typography that fills the top half, spelling out the album’s title in large red, teal, yellow, and black letters. Below, six stylized figures, dressed in patterned, colorful outfits, form a lively circle dance, with one musician strumming a guitar.

Album reviews

‘O Rom’s “Radio Rom” Dials Up Southern Italian Melting Pot

Madison Quinn October 20, 2025 No Comments ‘O Rom Italian music world fusion world music

‘O Rom – Radio Rom (Phonotype Records, 2025) I pressed play, expecting a postcard from Naples, and heard a joyful traveling station. Radio Rom recounts…

Antti Paalanen - Photo by Kimmo Kansala. Paalanen playing accordion in a field.

Artist Profiles

Bellows To The Metal: Antti Paalanen’s Breathbox Revolution

Madison Quinn October 17, 2025 No Comments accordion Antti Paalanen Finnish music folktronica world music

(headline image: Antti Paalanen – Photo by Kimmo Kansala) Antti Paalanen, born in 1977 and raised in Southern Ostrobothnia’s pelimanni heartland, builds a roaring engine…

The album cover for Trust Fall by Hannah Delynn features a double-exposed photograph of a woman in a long red coat standing on a snow-dusted forest path. The blurred layering effect creates the illusion of her appearing twice, side by side, against a backdrop of bare trees and stone steps. The title Trust Fall and artist’s name appear in handwritten-style white lettering in the lower right corner.

Album reviews

Falling Into Place: Hannah Delynn’s “Trust Fall” Lands September 5, 2025

Madison Quinn September 15, 2025 1 Comment Hannah Delynn

Hannah Delynn – Trust Fall (self-released, 2025) When an artist releases a debut full-length album, it often feels like the opening of a long-sealed journal.…

Althea SullyCole - Due West cover artwork. A photo of the artist holdinga kora over her right shoulder.

Album reviews

Kora Across Borders: Althea SullyCole Charts a Transatlantic Path on ‘Due West’

Madison Quinn September 7, 2025 1 Comment Althea SullyCole world music

Althea SullyCole – Due West (self-release, 2025) Althea SullyCole’s album Due West distills fourteen years of kora study into a transcontinental journey through African diasporic…

Sidsel Walstad and Ibou Cissokho - Tamoo cover artwork. A sepia colored design with illustrations of a western hrap and a kora.

Album reviews

European Harp Meets Kora on Lovely Tamoo

Madison Quinn September 4, 2025 No Comments world fusion world music

Sidsel Walstad and Ibou Cissokho – Tamoo (Global Sonics, 2025) Norwegian harp player Sidsel Walstad and Senegalese kora player and vocalist Ibou Cissokho forge a…

The album cover features four colorful paintings of human figures in motion, each framed separately against a tan background. Bold black lines define the figures, while vivid reds, blues, yellows, and greens create a sense of energy and rhythm. The text reads “Le Collectif Tango Negro Ensemble” on the left and “Tribute to Juan Carlos Cáceres” at the bottom.

Album reviews

Tango in Black and White: A Polyphonic Tribute to Cáceres

Madison Quinn August 31, 2025 No Comments Argentine music Le Collectif Tango Negro Ensemble tango world music

Le Collectif Tango Negro Ensemble – Tribute to Juan Carlos Cáceres (Felmay Records, 2025) Le Collectif Tango Negro Ensemble honors the legacy of Juan Carlos…

The album cover for Bords de Terre – Dubhe by Horzines Stara features delicate, colorful flowers taped to a weathered, cracked plaster wall. The band name and album title appear in simple, uppercase sans-serif type.

Album reviews

Borderless Voices: Horzines Stara Pushes Limits on Bords de Terre – Dubhe

Madison Quinn July 25, 2025 No Comments a cappella French music Horzines Stara world fusion world music

Horzines Stara – Bords de Terre – Dubhe (Vlad Productions / InOuïe Distribution, 2022) Horzines Stara’s 2022 release Bords de Terre – Dubhe (Edge of…

Kengo Saito / Japanistan Trio – Douce Errance. A photo of the trio holding their musical instruments.

Album reviews

Japanistan Trio: Crossroads Without Borders

Madison Quinn July 23, 2025 No Comments Kengo Saito world fusion world music

Kengo Saito / Japanistan Trio – Douce Errance (Felmay, 2025) On Douce Errance, the Japanistan Trio weaves Afghan rubab, Japanese shakuhachi, and Persian tombak through…